Backless women&#39;s article of clothing

ABSTRACT

A women&#39;s outer garment which is a backless, strapless, sleeveless article of clothing which may be used as a breast covering, without the use of a brassiere or other undergarment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit, Under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/674,670, filed Apr. 25, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a backless breast covering article of clothing for women, which allows tanning without tan lines and provides modest coverage for the wearer.

THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fashionable women's warm weather apparel is commonly designed for both comfort and style in warm weather and climates. For example, blouses, tops and dresses may have a variety of neck lines, and may have collars, short sleeves or sleeveless to accommodate the heat. Known warm-weather apparel, regardless of the style of the apparel, includes several drawbacks. Rarely is the apparel sufficiently comfortable in the hottest weather and climates. Summer and warm weather apparel often requires uncomfortable undergarments, which add an extra layer of unwanted clothing in the heat. Additionally, the apparel leaves unsightly and uneven tan lines, which most women wish to avoid.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to provide an article of women's clothing, which is worn without a brassiere or other undergarment, and is backless for comfort in hot weather and does not cause many tan lines.

SUMMARY

An outer garment is provided which is a women's article of the clothing. The article of clothing is a breast covering which is entirely backless, strapless, sleeveless, and worn without undergarments.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the backless women's article of clothing.

FIG. 1A is a rear elevational view of the backless women's article of clothing, as in FIG. 1, showing skin adherable adhesive strips.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of the backless women's article of clothing.

FIG. 3 is the back view of a model wearing the backless women's article of clothing, as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment for the backless women's article of clothing, which is layered under other clothing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to a backless women's article of clothing, which may be used as a breast covering without the use of a brassiere or other, undergarment. The backless women's article of clothing, or “Cachè top” may be worn by a woman as an outer garment, in lieu of additional clothing such as blouses or shirts to provide comfort as well as modest body coverage which may be worn any where.

The Cachè top 10, as shown in FIG. 1, may be formed of any stretch material or fabric, which may be comfortable against the skin, for example, natural materials such as cotton, linen, muslin and the like, synthetic materials such as rayon, polyester, nylon and the like, or blended materials, any of which may be combined with stretch materials such as Lycra®, Spandex or the like. As desired, other materials, such as lamé or silk may also be used. The material of construction may include UV protection as a sun block for sensitive skin areas. The material of construction may also be disposable, such as a paper weave, for convenient use at a beach or pool. The material is preferably light weight for comfort in warm weather but sufficiently thick to provide skin coverage for the modesty of the user. The breast covering of the Cachè top 10 does not include bra cups, lifts, or breast support. Nor is it intended as an enhancement of the bust line under a swimsuit or other apparel. The Cachè top 10 provides an article of clothing, which allows women to be appropriately and discretely dressed without the use of a bra. The user is acceptably dressed without the added layer of a bra or other undergarment. The Cachè top 10 also allows the user to sun or tan herself without developing tan lines since the Cachè top 10 is entirely backless, sleeveless and strapless. As shown in FIG. 1A, the Cachè top 10 is attached to the skin by skin adherable adhesive, such as non-allergenic double sided adhesive strips 11, which are discarded after each wearing use.

In one embodiment, as in FIG. 2, the Cachè top 20 may include a lower portion 22 which may be formed of lace, silk or any attractive, light weight material or fabric to provide longer frontal coverage and/or an alternative style. This lower portion 22 covers the lower frontal torso of the user to a desired length. The Cachè top 20 is adhered to the skin in a similar manner as the Cachè top 10 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a person wearing the Cachè top 10, shown hidden from view by the torso of the wearer.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the Cachè top 30 may also be used as a breast covering liner under sheer clothing or material for both style reasons and to allow the user to avoid additional undergarments. In such a case, the Cachè top 30 may be adhered to the user's skin or to the inner surface of the sheer clothing, with adhesive tape, according to the preference of the user.

The Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 is formed to cover the breast and skin area completely and comfortably extending from under one arm to the under the second arm. It is generally rectangular, oval, or oblong in shape. The Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 covers the upper frontal torso of a woman, so the entire breast area is fully clothed. The longitudinal ends or portions of the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 are attached to the users skin via a dermal adhesive tape 11. A double-sided dermal surgical pressure-sensitive adhesive may be attached to the under side of the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 along the ends and to the user's skin under the arm area of the user. In one embodiment, the pressure-sensitive adhesive can include a mixture of dioctyl phthalate, dibutyl succinate, diethyl azelate, Blenderm®, and the like. Any adhesive tape which us acceptable for use on skin may be employed to attach the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30. In another embodiment, double-sided adhesive may be provided in pre-measured shapes to attach to the Cachè top. The adhesive tape 11 is typically held in place for approximately 10-15 seconds to allow the adhesive to satisfactorily bond with the skin until deliberately removed by the user. In some cases, a user may wish to employ additional adhesive tape 11 along the latitudinal edges of the Cachè top for additional security of use. Thereafter, the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 will remain in place on the user's body until removal of the dermal tape 11.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, strips 21 of small gage VELCRO® or similar materials may be located along the longitudinal edges of the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 under the arm. The adhesive tape 21 a is attached to the VELCRO® strip 21 on side and the user's skin on the other side, making the tape 21 a easy to attach without leaving adhesive residue on the material of Cachè top 10, 20 or 30.

It will be understood that the Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 has the advantages of allowing a woman to be discretely dressed while tanning the back and shoulders without tan lines. The Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 may be produced economically since construction requires only enough material to form a breast covering, it is entirely backless, and includes no straps, foam, separate bra cups or other inserts. The Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 does not require fasteners, snaps or the like, which also makes production economical. The type of material chosen for construction may influence the cost of production, and any light weight material having a stretch component may be employed according to the desired final effect of the garment. It is easily applied to a user's skin via dermal adhesive tape, and easily and painlessly removed when desired.

The Cachè top 10, 20 or 30 is ideal is vacationing and traveling since it is comfortable, provides discrete dressing, and requires little space in a suitcase or bag. It also relieves the user of the packing and washing of several articles of clothing which would have otherwise been worn at once.

In the foregoing description, certain terms are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.

It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims. 

1. A women's outer garment comprising: a stretch material formed to cover a frontal upper torso of a woman having a first longitudinal end which aligns under a first arm of a woman and a second longitudinal end which aligns under a second arm of the woman; a first longitudinal end having dermal adhesive tape attachable to the woman's skin; and a second longitudinal end having dermal adhesive tape to attach to the woman's skin.
 2. A women's outer garment of in claim 1, wherein the material is a light weight stretch fabric.
 3. A women's outer garment of in claim 2, wherein the garment includes a lower portion covering the woman's torso.
 4. A women's outer garment of in claim 2, wherein the garment adheres to an additional garment.
 5. A women's article of clothing comprising: a breast covering of stretch fabric which sleeveless, backless, strapless, attaches to the user's skin via dermal adhesive tape along end portions, and worn while sunning or tanning. 